Litany for Obtaining a Good Death
From St. Vincent's Manual, 1848 Tools
Source
| Printed in | St. Vincent's Manual |
|---|---|
| Imprint | Baltimore (Philadelphia and Pittsburg also named on the title page), John Murphy ("Printed and published by John Murphy, No. 178 Market Street", Baltimore); also named on the title page: James Fullerton, 57 South Fourth St., Philadelphia, and George Quigley, Pittsburg, as sellers, 1848 |
| Scan | the Internet Archive copy |
| Transcription | Transcribed from the scan of the 1848 edition. |
| Rights | Public domain in the United States. |
- Prayers for
- a happy death, mercy, salvation, holiness
Limbourg brothers, The Procession of St. Gregory, Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, 1411–1416. Musée Condé, Chantilly.
LORD Jesus, gracious God, Father of mercy! I present myself before thee with an humble and contrite heart. I recommend my last hour, and all that shall follow, into thy hands.
When my immovable feet will warn me, that my course in this life will soon be finished, merciful Jesus! have pity on me.
When my eyes, obscured at the approach of death, shall cast their dying looks towards thee, merciful Jesus! have pity on me.
When my lips, cold and trembling, will pronounce for the last time thy adorable name,
When my pale and livid cheeks will inspire the beholders with compassion,
When the cold sweat of death will announce my approaching end,
When my ears shall be about to close to every human voice, and open only to hear the irrevocable sentence of thy justice, which shall separate me from the number of the living,
When my imagination, agitated by dark and terrifying phantoms, will be plunged in cruel sadness,
When my mind, troubled at the sight of my iniquities, and by the fear of thy justice, shall contend with the angel of darkness, who would hide thy mercies from me, and cast me into despair,
When my weak heart, overpowered by the pains of sickness, will be seized with the horrors of death,
When I shall be surrounded by my relatives and friends, lamenting my sad condition, and offering up their supplications in my behalf,
When I shall shed my last tears, the forerunners of my dissolution, receiving them as a tribute of penance,
When I shall have lost the use of my senses, and the whole world shall disappear from my view,
When the last sighs of my heart shall force my soul from my body, accepting them as expressive of a holy impatience to be thine,
When my soul shall be on my lips, departing from this world, and shall leave my body cold and lifeless, accepting the destruction of my being as a homage paid to thy divine majesty,
When my soul shall appear before thee, and for the first time behold the glory of thy countenance, oh! that it may not be then cast from thee, but that it may be received into the bosom of thy mercy, to sing thy praises for ever,
Merciful Jesus! have pity on me.
LET US PRAY.
O GOD! who, condemning us to death, hast concealed from us the moment of its occurrence, grant, that spending all the days of our lives in justice and holiness, we may have the happiness to breathe our last in thy love: through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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